Free Daily NHL Picks

The NHL season closely aligns with professional basketball providing a one-two punch for serious bettors to take advantage of and add to their wagering bankroll. Hockey may feature many more lower-scoring games than hoops, but the oddsmakers still put up numbers on both sports with daily NHL moneylines, totals, and a variety of creative (and lucrative) proposition bets. Handicapping correctly begins with devouring stats and information, and ends with trying to determine if there's enough variance in selected odds that are worthy of putting your money down.

Why Use Free Daily NHL Hockey Picks

Start by doing your own daily handicapping research at a pace that is comfortable for you. Examine the stats of each team, the NHL standings, along with the league stats in relation to each team, such as goals against average and five-on-five scoring. From this, you'll begin to get a sense of what team should be favored, by what margin, and the total NHL goals scored by each team. Adding the daily opinions of free hockey picks will help hone the handicapping skills needed to win consistently at sports wagering. Another good resource is my NHL public betting consensus picks page. You can track picks, percentages on spread, moneylines and totals.

Betting Value in Free Daily NHL Picks

NHL oddsmakers assign a moneyline value to each game. For instance, the favorite can be minus 150 while the underdog will be +135. If you believe the favorite is going to win, you'd lay $150 to win an extra $100 - provided the favorite ends up winning. Betting too many favorites is a weakness many inexperienced bettors struggle with. The oddsmakers aren't dummies. They know the percentages and make their lines accordingly. With that said, they do make some mistakes or overvalue some lines. If a pair of division rivals always seem to play close games, splitting the last six meetings, for example, making one of them a -150 favorite mainly because they're at home might be too much. The underdog at +135 offers value in what should be another tight game. Totals can offer wagering value, as well. If two powerhouse defensive teams have a total of 6 in a game that could easily end up 2-1 or 3-0, there can be more value in the total than the moneyline.

Wunderdog Free Daily NHL Hockey Picks

I've been working and winning in all sports for over two decades. I combine an extensive NHL computer pick database with daily information gathering, along with an experienced eye for identifying variance in the posted odds. I also track line movement during the day which also adds insight into where weak odds are and where the sharp money is flowing. Tonight's free NHL picks I release are not only packed with winning information, but they're games that I'm putting my own money on.

Free NHL Daily Hockey Picks vs. Premium Picks

Daily Free NHL Picks Pros:

• Expands your insight into how stats and angles apply to odds
• Free daily selections mean not opening your wallet
• Streamlines the top betting information to maximize your valuable time

Daily Free NHL Picks Cons:

• Too many favorites
• Shortage of detailed explanations
• Ignoring the wagering value on totals and props

Premium Daily NHL Picks Pros:

• Top selections by a consistently winning expert
• Multiple reasons make the best selections
• Game night information that isn't available to most sports enthusiasts

Premium Daily NHL Picks Cons:

• Winning percentages that deviate from expectations
• Hockey line movement can shift against the picks
• The best selections are a handful of prime plays, not forced picks on every game

How To Win With Free Daily NHL Hockey Picks

Winning consistently at sports betting requires patience, effort, up-to-date facts, and proper money management. It's not about having a hunch on a game. Obtaining daily free NHL picks from a documented professional provides you with plays, and in-depth analysis, along with the recommended percentage of your betting bankroll to utilize. Over the course of a long season, it's the only way to exploit enough soft lines to win regularly.

Free NHL Daily Hockey Picks Picks Betting Strategy

NHL Totals

Any hockey game that has a favorite and an underdog is also going to have a NHL total attached. This is the total number of goals scored by both teams and at around even money. They're often 5.5, 6, 6.5, or occasionally 7 when two teams have high-powered offenses. The average football, basketball, and hockey fans love to see high-scoring games and wager on the OVER. However, a sound hockey wagering strategy is to look UNDER by signally out at least one team that has some very good defensive stats. Those stats can encompass goals against average, shots on goals allowed, and goaltender saves percentage. Some coaches prefer a defensive approach, demanding that their forwards hustle back when the puck is in their zone. Or, they even ask players to dive in front of slap shots to block the shot - not an easy assignment. If a strong defensive team is facing an attacking offensive one, you might find a total of 6 but the UNDER can offer value. The defensive team is far less likely to change their approach and shift to a frenzied end-to-end style. If two teams play at a fast tempo, a high-scoring game is more likely. But make sure you check their defensive stats. Plenty of great offensive teams are also terrific on defense, so a total of 7 might end up in a 4-1 final. Using this approach, over the course of an NHL season, look for more UNDER spots than OVERS.

Situational Handicapping

There are many times when situations trump stats. A great team that is winding up a seven-game road trip may not play that great. The answer isn't talent, it's the situation. They've been on the road for two weeks, trudging around airports, bussing to different hotels, changing time zones, and having their body clocks off, while dealing with the breakup of their normal routines. The players and the team play can be negatively affected. They look like a team out of gas because they are! Another situation would be a team working on one or two days of rest facing an opponent that played last night or working on their third game in four days. A simple situation: a rested team against a tired one. Still another situation would be a revenge game at home against a rival that beat up on them a few weeks ago in a 7-0 blowout. The home team can hit the ice with a chip on its shoulder to not only impress the fans but exact a little payback. Situational handicapping doesn't happen every night, but it does take place all season long, which is why pays to keep that in mind as you're examining each matchup.

Puck Line

Hockey puck lines are the same as baseball run lines - the favorite has to win by more than one goal. Puck lines are listed as -1.5 or +1.5 on the daily card. These should be used sparingly, as it's common for a baseball team to win 11-4 or 9-2, but that's not the case in the NHL with so many 3-2 and 4-3 finals. Even if a baseball game goes extra innings one team can still win by more than one run, but not so in hockey shootouts. Therefore, NHL puck line hockey underdogs would offer better value overall. If a strong defensive team is a dog but you believe they're capable of keeping it close and pulling the upset, you can back them on the puck line at +1.5. That means if they win, you win. And if they lose by one goal, you still win.

Free NHL Daily Hockey Picks Subscription

I examine all the odds offered on hockey action, from underdogs, favorites, totals, prop wagers, and matchups, to situational handicapping. Many games have the correct odds attached to them. If there are no advantages or line variances, I'll pass. But there are plenty of sound plays on the board - you just have to know how to dissect and identify them. Those are the ones I wager on and release to my clients with all the inside details revealed. And you can be a part of the information and the action by accessing my daily free hockey selections on a subscription service. It will help expand your handicapping insight - and your bankroll.